NEWS + ANALYSIS

Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States as a young man in 1831. He is credited for having observed in depth, and accurately described, not only the political system of this new republic, but, beyond this, the principles of the democratic system and broader society. This work was done with a view, undoubtedly, to educate European countries, because historical circumstances had left most of them with centralized governments and a large public sphere.